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Hal Holbrook

Actor

Hal Holbrook

Born February 17, 1925 in Cleveland, Ohio, USADied January 23, 202190 films

Harold Rowe Holbrook Jr. (February 17, 1925 – January 23, 2021) was an American actor, television director, and writer. He first received critical acclaim in 1954 for a one-man stage show he developed, Mark Twain Tonight!, performing as Mark Twain, while studying at Denison University. He won the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play in 1966 for his portrayal of Twain. He would continue to perform his signature role for over 60 years, only retiring the show in 2017 due to his failing health. Throughout his career, he also won five Primetime Emmy Awards for his work on television and was nominated for an Academy Award for his work in film.

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Holbrook made his film debut in Sidney Lumet's The Group (1966). He later gained international fame for his performance as Deep Throat in the 1976 film All the President's Men. He played Abraham Lincoln in the 1976 miniseries Lincoln and 1985 miniseries North and South. He also appeared in such films as Julia (1977), The Fog (1980), Creepshow (1982), Wall Street (1987), The Firm (1993), Hercules (1997), and Men of Honor (2000).

Holbrook's role as Ron Franz in Sean Penn's Into the Wild (2007) earned him both Academy Award and Screen Actors Guild Award nominations for Best Supporting Actor. In 2009, Holbrook received critical acclaim for his performance as recently retired farmer Abner Meecham in the independent film That Evening Sun. He also portrayed Francis Preston Blair in Steven Spielberg's Lincoln (2012).

In 2003, Holbrook was honored with the National Humanities Medal by President George W. Bush.

Description above from the Wikipedia article Hal Holbrook, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

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Into the Wild posterFirst watchInto the Wild20077.8as Ronald "Ron" FranzAfter graduating from Emory University in 1992, top student and athlete Christopher McCandless abandons his possessions, gives his entire $24,000 savings account to charity, and hitchhikes…View film

Essential films

Ranked by acclaim and reach
Hercules poster7.5Hercules1997Men of Honor poster7.5Men of Honor2000All the President's Men poster7.7All the President's Men1976Lincoln poster6.8Lincoln2012Wall Street poster7.2Wall Street1987Water for Elephants poster6.9Water for Elephants2011The Firm poster6.7The Firm1993Magnum Force poster7.1Magnum Force1973

Filmography

90 films as actor
  1. 2015BlackwayWhizzer
  2. 2014Planes: Fire & RescueMayday (voice)
  3. 2013SavannahJudge Harden
  4. 2012LincolnPreston Blair
  5. 2012Promised LandFrank Yates
  6. 2011Water for ElephantsOld Jacob
  7. 2011Good Day for ItHec
  8. 2010Flying LessonsHarry Pleasant
  9. 2009That Evening SunAbner Meecham
  10. 2008KillshotPapa
  11. 2007Into the WildRonald "Ron" Franz
  12. 2003The Designing Women Reunion
  13. 2003ShadeThe Professor
  14. 2003The Street LawyerArthur Jacobs
  15. 2002PurposeTom Walker
  16. 2001The MajesticCongressman Doyle
  17. 2001The Legend of the Three TreesNarrator
  18. 2001HavenHarold L. Ickes
  19. 2000The Life & Adventures of Santa ClausAk - Master Woodsman of the World (voice)
  20. 2000Men of Honor'Mr. Pappy'
  21. 2000Waking the DeadIsaac Green
  22. 1999The BachelorO'Dell
  23. 1999The FlorentineSmitty
  24. 1998Rusty: A Dog's TaleBoyd Callahan
  25. 1998Judas KissSenator Rupert Hornbeck
  26. 1998My Own CountryLloyd Flanders
  27. 1998Walking to the WaterlineMan on the Beach
  28. 1998HushDr. Franklin Hill
  29. 1998BeautyAlexander Miller
  30. 1997Eye of GodSheriff Rogers
  31. 1997All the Winters that Have BeenUncle Ren Corvin
  32. 1997HerculesAmphitryon (voice)
  33. 1997Cats Don't DanceCranston (voice)
  34. 1997Operation Delta ForceAdmiral Henshaw
  35. 1996Carried AwayDoctor Evans
  36. 1996Innocent VictimsBob Hennis
  37. 1995She Stood Alone: The Tailhook ScandalAdm. Kelso
  38. 1995Perry Mason: The Case of the Jealous JokesterWild Bill McKenzie
  39. 1994Perry Mason: The Case of the Grimacing GovernorWild Bill McKenzie
  40. 1994Perry Mason: The Case of the Lethal LifestyleWilliam McKenzie
  41. 1993The FirmOliver Lambert
  42. 1993Bonds of LoveJim Smith
  43. 1990A Killing in a Small TownDr. Beardsley
  44. 1989Sorry, Wrong NumberJim Coltrane
  45. 1989Day OneGen. George Marshall
  46. 1989Fletch LivesHamilton "Ham" Johnson
  47. 1988I'll Be Home for ChristmasJoseph Bundy
  48. 1988The UnholyArchbishop Mosely
  49. 1987Wall StreetLou Mannheim
  50. 1987Plaza SuiteSam Nash
  51. 1986Under SiegePresident Maxwell Monroe
  52. 198592 Grosvenor Street
  53. 1984The Three Wishes of Billy GrierGrandpa Grier
  54. 1983The Star ChamberBenjamin Caulfield
  55. 1982CreepshowHenry Northrup (segment "The Crate")
  56. 1982Girls Nite OutJim MacVey
  57. 1981The Killing of Randy WebsterJohn Webster
  58. 1980The Kidnapping of the PresidentPresident Adam Scott
  59. 1980Off the Minnesota StripBud Johansen
  60. 1980The FogFather Malone
  61. 1979Natural EnemiesPaul Steward
  62. 1979When Hell Was in SessionCmdr. Jeremiah A. Denton
  63. 1979The Legend of the Golden GunJ.R. Swackhammer
  64. 1979Murder by Natural CausesArthur Sinclair
  65. 1977Capricorn OneDr. James Kelloway
  66. 1977JuliaAlan
  67. 1977RitualsHarry
  68. 1977Our TownStage manager
  69. 1976MidwayCmdr. Joseph Rochefort
  70. 1976All the President's MenDeep Throat
  71. 1974The Girl from PetrovkaJoe
  72. 1973Magnum ForceLieutenant Briggs
  73. 1973Jonathan Livingston SeagullElder (voice)
  74. 1973PuebloCapt. Lloyd Bucher
  75. 1973Jane Goodall and the World of Animal Behavior: The Wild Dogs of AfricaNarrator
  76. 1972They Only Kill Their MastersDr. Warren G. Watkins
  77. 1972That Certain SummerDoug Salter
  78. 1971Goodbye, Raggedy AnnHarlan Webb
  79. 1971Suddenly SingleLarry Hackett
  80. 1971Travis Logan, D.A.Matthew Sand
  81. 1970The Wacky Zoo of Morgan CityMitch Collins
  82. 1970The Great White HopeCameron
  83. 1970The People Next DoorDavid Hoffman
  84. 1970A Clear and Present DangerHays Stowe
  85. 1969The Whole World Is WatchingChancellor Graham
  86. 1968The BrotherhoodMan at the Table (uncredited)
  87. 1968Wild in the StreetsSenator Fergus
  88. 1967Mark Twain Tonight!Mark Twain (Samuel Langhorne Clemens)
  89. 1966The Glass Menagerieher son
  90. 1966The GroupGus Leroy